‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Filmed the Longest Battle in TV History

We’ve come a long way from Game of Thrones keeping battles offscreen, but Season 8 is going all out. New set reports indicate the HBO drama more than doubled its shooting time for fan-favorites like “Battle of the Bastards,” and is only getting started.

According to Watchers on The Wall, assistant director Jonathan Quinlan posted a since-deleted thank-you note to crew for “55 straight nights” of shooting one single episode at the show’s Moneyglass set in Toome and the Magheramorne green screen. That’s close to two and a half months of shooting, which exceeds double the production time of Game of Thrones’ previous battle record (and likely sets a record for TV overall). WoTW calls it “the biggest, most expensive action scene we’ve ever seen on TV,” though it’s said that another battle at King’s Landing might outdo it.